Joe Louis was a hard puncher for his time....

No one thinks Louis did not hit hard. You could say he fought with lighter gloves and many stationary targets the made his Ko's look better than most.

The difference in 6oz gloves a 12oz gloves is significant. Many states do not allow the upper weight to use less than 10oz gloves.

 

Was he faster? (Honest question)

He's looked like genuine sh*t since I've started following him.

Someone should start a Ruiz v Joshua thread.

 

Ruiz consists of modern flesh. Valuev, a Dostoyevsky character, consists of antique 19th century flesh.

#science

 

No, but I kid you not, people here were comparing his speed and mobility to Ali.

 

It's amazing how stupid some people are.

Stephen A Smith was going on and on about how Ruiz ruined the great Wilder v Joshua match-up, never admitting that Ruiz did not ruin it but that it was never a great match-up to begin with. Joshua simply wasn't the goods that all those stick and ball sports enthusiasts claimed him to be.

In US Western parlance, AJ is "All Hat and No Cattle".

 

Though I probably would've been less surprised had Wilder lost to a fighter on the level of Ruiz. I think it was a good match up, not because they were great, but because they were both dangerous and vulnerable.

 

Louis. Valuev whilst big didn't hit as hard as an athlete his size should

 

Again the size kings just don't seem to understand size doesn't equate to punching power. At least where professional fighters over 200 lbs are concerned. If it were so P.Canera, Mathis Sr, T.Tucker, J.Smith, M.Weaver,(his weight was around 230/240 lbs all muscle) J.Tate, T.Witherspoon, Mitch Green , B.Baer, M.Grant , T.Fury, All should've been some of the best punchers in history. All the fighters I named were comparable in height and weight to the so called super heavies of today (But without steroids) Not one would be considered a dynamic puncher. Yet J.Louis , M.Tyson , J.frazier, R.Marciano, J.Dempsey E.Shavers, R.Lyle are considered big punchers. Not one would be considered a "Super heavyweight". Speed,Timing,technique, are much more important then physical strength. Boxing isn't a weight lifting or body building contest.... Just ask Anthony Joshua.

 

I think Louis hit hard for any time. Part of it was his conditioning and part of it was his technique. He generated a lot of power from his stance and from keeping his feet planted. But more than that, he didn't throw single big shots, he worked them off the jab and could deliver blistering salvos in combination.

 

Punching effectively requires a delicate whole body coordination that giants rarely possess. That's what makes Wlad and Lewis and Wilder such outliers. Those guys are rare enough. At 7 feet, they are just non-existent.

 

This. Zack Page absorbed body shots and flush right hands from Fury, Pulev, and many other big heavyweights, but was dropped like a sack of potatoes against Rakhim Chakhkiev and Medzhid Bektemirov, who are both sub 200 lb fighters because their technique, speed, and timing was better than the slow and sloppy big men at heavyweight.

When Bektemirov passed through our gym he dropped quite a few heavyweights including Wilder himself.

Zack against two big heavyweights

Zack Page vs. Kubrat Pulev

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Zack Page vs. Tyson Fury

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Zack Page against two sub 200 lb fighters that can punch and have good timing, speed, and technique.

Zack Page vs. Medzhid Bektemirov

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Zack Page vs. Rakhim Chakhkiev

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Firstly, no one is going to confuse Fury or Pulev with powerpunchers. Fury can turn on a little pop at times but is largely content to box and use his freakish length/speed combo. Pulev just lacks snap and tries to bulldoze his jab for 12 rounds. But your point is well taken.

The question then becomes, if these bombers are lurking at light heavy and cruiser, why don't they go for real paychecks with the big boys?

 

Agreed. Scary accurate, too.

I watched a HL Reel of Joe's a few days ago and noticed the snap straight away. He put authority into every shot he threw.

A ridiculously hard puncher of any era.

 

Come on, you can find a cruiser weight who can knock an elephant over if you want to!

 

Because I think size does equate to power to a fair extent. When you throw a punch at a guy's head you want to transfer snap into his head, but his head is also pushing back on your fist and arm (and hence body) when you land. More weight means more force goes his way. Sure, it may be slower than a cruiser, but even blows thrown with limited aim at power from a superheavy can wreck people with enough blows - seee Vitali. And of course the punch resistance of a proper heavy is more than a lighter man. Even if you have a great cruiser that can really lay the smackdown, in a contest of durability with a similar heavy, he's at a disadvantage.

My 2c.